Next Generation
by Sixty Watermelons
Summary: When Albus arrives at Hogwarts, he embarks on a journey of new friends, new experiences, and more work than he thought. But when he catches wind of his cousin's secret crush on Scorpius Malfoy, what will he do? Rose/Scorpius. Title will change. R&R.
1. On the Hogwarts Express

**A/N: I've been itching to write a Next Generation story since last July, when _Deathly Hallows_ came out. I went through numerous first chapters and beginnings, before I settled on this. Hope you enjoy!  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of his kids Or any of Ron and Hermione's kids. Or Bill and Fleur's. I think you get the picture.**

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The door to the train slid shut. Albus looked out the window, down at his smiling parents and little sister.

"Come on, Al, it'll be fine. Why are you so worried?" Rose slid down the vinyl seat and next to Albus, putting her arm around him. He quickly shrugged her off.

"Easy for you to say." he muttered. As silent as he was on the outside, the idea he could be in Slytherin was eating away at him on the inside. He knew that what his father had just told him about his almost being in Slytherin was supposed to make him feel better, but what if it ran in the family? What if he inherited some sort of gene that his brother and sister didn't get, a gene which would put him in Slytherin?

_Shut up, _he told himself. _You're being an idiot. James was in Gryffindor. So was Victoire. Do you really think you won't be?_

He exhaled. He remembered his father's other words; _The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account._ He didn't exactly feel calm, but he wasn't so nervous now.

He glanced over at Rose, who was reading _Hogwarts: A History _in the corner of the vinyl seat. She looked just like she did every time she read, spinning one lock of her dark red hair over and over with her finger, rarely blinking as she absorbed the information. Her big brown eyes moved side to side, never leaving the book.

Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door. He stood up whereas Rose didn't pay any attention to the small noise. He opened the door, and a skinny blond boy was standing there, a trunk on the floor next to him, a small owl in a cage in one hand.

"Everywhere else is full. Can I sit in here?" the boy asked, his voice quiet. Albus liked the privacy of just him and his cousin, but he didn't want to be making enemies before he even got to school.

"Sure. I'm Albus" he said as he moved out of the doorway. The boy looked relieved, and he walked into the little area. He hoisted his trunk up onto the rack, and put his owl up next to it.

"I'm Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy." Albus nodded, remembering stories that Uncle Ron had told at Christmas every year. They all mentioned a boy named Draco Malfoy, who had apparently despised his Uncle Ron and his dad. Albus quickly sat down in his seat, and Scorpius sat down across from Rose.

"Erm, Rose? Rose? ROSE!" Rose heard Albus yelling. She looked up from her book, noticing a new person in their compartment.

"Hi. I'm Scorpius." the boy said plainly. She nodded. _This is the boy dad told me to stay away from_, was running through her mind.

"Oh, um, I'm Rose Weasley." _Wow. Very original, Rose._ She ran her fingers through her hair, twirled it around her finger, and returned to her book. _He's cute._ She stopped concentrating on her book, and instead peeked out over the top of the pages. He was listening to Albus talk about his broomstick, nodding and biting his lip. She realized he wasn't going to do anything interesting, so she returned to her book.

Albus looked at his cousin, who was absorbed in her book. He could have sworn she had been looking at Scorpius. Rose? She only ate, slept, and read. She barely talked to girls, much less boys.

"So," said Scorpius, biting his lip, "Do you want to play a game of Exploding Snap?" He pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket. He hesitated, looking as if he had made a mistake.

"Sure. I've played a couple times." _Oh, you liar. _Albus hadn't just played the game; he beat his Uncle Charlie at the game. His Uncle Charlie, who had never lost a game before! He decided he'd play Scorpius for fun.

"So, I guess I'll deal?" Scorpius seemed unsure, but when Albus nodded, he quickly shuffled the deck and handed out the cards.

They played Exploding Snap for what seemed like days. The game still hadn't ended when Victoire burst into the compartment.

"Al, what are you doing? We're going to be at Hogwarts in twenty minutes! You two better change into your robes." Victoire gave Scorpius a once-over, and floated out the door.

All of the sudden, all of the cards in Scorpius' hand burst into flames, and quickly disintegrated. They put the cards away, and pulled their trunks off of the shelf, tugging the black robes off out of the trunks. Scorpius grabbed the rest of his uniform, and headed down the hall and into the bathroom. Albus turned away from his cousin, tugged off his jeans and put on his black dress pants, buttoned the starched white button-down over his t-shirt, and put on his black tie. He then tugged on the robes, and snapped his trunk shut.

He shoved the trunk back on top of the shelf, and pulled his owl down. He flung the black cloth off of the top of the cage to reveal a Scops Owl, small and gray. The owl opened his yellow eyes, blinked, and hooted loudly. It still had food and water. Albus flung the black cloth on top of the cage as he heard the door slide open.

It wasn't Scorpius, as he had expected. It was James. He was in his Hogwarts robes too, only unlike Albus' they had a big Gryffindor crest on the chest. Albus hoped deeply he would have the same robes this time next year. James sat down next to him, and Rose closed her book.

"So, I noticed the Malfoy kid came in here. What's his name . . . Scorpion?" James looked at Rose, whose ears turned red. _So she was looking at him! _Albus hoped sincerely that his cousin didn't have a crush on Scorpius. He seemed nice enough, but he _was_ the son of Uncle Ron's least favorite person in the world.

"_Scorpius. _His name is Scorpius." Rose snapped at her cousin, causing him to shrink back. He had always been slightly frightened of his eleven-year-old cousin ever since she set a flock of fluffy yellow canaries on him last Christmas. He had given her a little bruise when he hit her with his broomstick while he was weaving between the trees, and she had immediately attacked him with the birds, causing him to fall off his broomstick and spend a week in St. Mungos.

"Okay, then. You enjoy the rest of the train ride." James backed out of the door, and hit Scorpius, who was walking back into the compartment with his jeans in his hands. James shuffled to the side and headed down the hall. Scorpius entered the room, and slid the door closed.

"Who was that?" Scorpius asked, putting his jeans into his trunk. He closed the trunk, and turned to Rose.

"Oh, that was my cousin James. He's Al's older brother." Rose put her book into her trunk, and pulled a wicker cat basket down from the shelf. She opened it to check on her kitten. A little ginger kitten peered up at her with blue eyes. The cat meowed, and Rose closed the cat basket again. There was still cat food and water in the basket's tiny bowls. She put the basket back, and sat down.

When Scorpius sat down, they just talked about what house they wanted to be in. Albus refused to settle for anything but Gryffindor. Whenever Rose tried to convince him that Ravenclaw wouldn't be terrible, he refused to listen.

"Al, I know you want to be in Gryffindor. So do I! But Ravenclaw wouldn't be terri-" Rose continued her hopeless quest to convince her cousin that Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad.

"What? What did you say, Rose? Yeah, I want to be in Gryffindor. Were you saying something else?" Al continued to ignore Rose by opening a magazine. She sighed, and turned away from him.

"So, Scorpius, what house do you want to be in?" Rose decided that questioning Scorpius would at least give her something to do for the remaining five minutes. She looked at him, and she was pretty sure that her ears were about the same color as her hair.

He looked at Rose. She was waiting for him to answer. "Well, my parents were both in Slytherin." He noticed Albus was now peering over the top of his magazine, listening to him. "But I don't know. Maybe the Sorting Hat thinks differently. Maybe I'll go somewhere I didn't think I would go. Maybe I'll be in Gryffindor." He grinned at Rose, whose ears turned even more crimson.

"We've arrived at Hogwarts! Please take your trunks and various possessions and exit the train!" Immediately, the train buzzed with the noise that people were making by pulling their trunks off of the rack, picking up various pets, and exiting the train.

Albus grabbed his trunk off of the shelf and grasped his owl's cage in his other hand. He slid the door open and ran off the train and into the darkness of the night sky.

"Firs' years! Firs' years, come over here!" A huge man who Albus assumed was Hagrid towered over the first years. He was huge, with a big white bushy beard and thick white hair that touched the middle of his back. He was wrinkly and tanned, and he was missing most of his teeth. He was wearing a pair of brown pants that sixteen third years could have fit into, a large white button-down that was missing the top button, and a pair of shoes the side of sleds. He was carrying a lantern the size of the floor lamp in Grandma Weasley's living room. He looked like he could have been very powerful years ago, but it looked like the only way he could hurt you now was if he sat on you.

Albus looked past Hagrid and across the lake. There, glimmering in the reflection of dozens of torches, was what Albus had been dreaming of since June. It was huge, made of gray stone with towers and turrets everywhere.

It was Hogwarts, and it was exactly as he had dreamed it would be.


	2. The Sorting Hat Ceremony

**A/N: Sorry that this chapter is so long. I kind of got carried away...but there was so much I had to write. Enjoy!**

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Disclaimer: Once again, I (unfortunately) do not have the rights to Harry Potter. Those belong to J.K. Rowling (who is, unfortunately, not me).**

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Albus gazed up at the magnificent castle. He'd seen it in books, but in person it was so much more resplendent. The stones of the walls glistened in the dusky moonlight, and inside every window there was a bright light, inviting you inside. The vast lake near the castle shimmered a deep cerulean, and the glass that the greenhouses were made of gleamed like diamonds. The various flora edging paths, surrounding the castle, and scattered around the lake were all immaculately well cared for from what Albus could see.

The only thing that seemed out of place was the little brown hut over by the forest. The roof was sagging, and there was a hole in the wall next to one of the windows. Next to the hut were pumpkin patches, some cabbage plants, and a small grave marker next to a mound of dirt. Albus remembered James' stories, and concluded that the little house was Hagrid's hut.

"Albus! What are ye' doin'? Th' other firs' years are already on the boat! Getta move on!" Albus snapped out of his reverie and hurried into the boat that was closest to the lake-front.

To his relief, Rose was inside, sitting in the bow of the boat. Then he noticed that Scorpius was sitting right next to her. _Not good,_ he immediately thought. He noticed that Rose was glancing at Scorpius every couple of minutes. _Even worse. _Scorpius was smiling at Rose now. Albus truly hoped that Rose didn't have a crush on the Malfoy kid, or worse, the Malfoy kid had a crush on Rose.

"Alrigh'! Off to Hogwar's!" From where he was in his own boat, Hagrid pointed a large, pink umbrella at the boats, and they started moving. Albus noticed most of his classmates were petrified, their hands in death grips on the seat of their boats. Then he realized that his own hands were locked onto the boat as well. He quickly loosened them, and put them in his lap. He turned to the side, and admired the scenery of the school grounds.

He dipped his hand in the cold, cool water of the lake. He didn't move it, and let the ripples of the lake wash over it. But suddenly, he felt something brush his hand. Something slimy, with bumps all over it. He quickly pulled his hand out of the water, and looked into the lake. He saw a large, grayish-green tentacle slowly receding under the water. He shuddered, but then something else caught his eye.

He was right next to the castle, the place he had dreamed of for a year. The boats floated to the edge of the lake, and they stopped. The first years climbed out of the boats, and onto the dry land. He noticed Scorpius helping Rose out of the boat, holding her hand as she her ears turned pink in the moonlight, and that Scorpius held her hand a little too long. _Oh, crap. I really hope Rose doesn't have a crush on him._

"Firs' years! Follow me into th' castle!" Hagrid waved his huge hand, beckoning the various eleven-year-olds over, and started walking up one of the many paths leading to the castle. He held his enormous lantern above his head, which didn't do much good because his shadow blocked the light, and ushered the first years through a door.

Albus blinked. The room they were in was small, with a very bright light illuminating the tiny area. At the front of the room was a woman, her face covered in wrinkles, her snowy white hair pulled back into a tight bun. Her royal purple robes and pointy witch's hat made her look strict, serious, and very no-nonsense. This could be none other than Professor Minerva McGonagall, who James had a particular dislike of.

"Boys and girls, welcome to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor McGonagall, and I will be escorting you into the Great Hall for the Sorting Hat Ceremony. Please line up and follow me," She pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket, and read it over, and she put it back into her pocket several minutes later. Albus found himself behind a huge, brunette boy with a scowl on his face, and what looked like blood underneath his fingernails.

"Now everyone, follow me." The girl behind McGonagall hurried to keep up with the old woman as she pushed her way through the double doors that lead into the Great Hall. She walked up to the raised platform at the front of the room, and stopped the first years right next to it.

"I will say your names, and as I say them, you will come up here, put on the Sorting Hat, and then sit down at your house table. But first, we will hear the Sorting Hat's song." Professor McGonagall took off her glasses, wiped them on the sleeve of her robe, and put them back on.

The first years watched attentively as a man with thick, chestnut hair put a withered old hat on a stool. They observed it , not noticing anything remarkably unique in the brown wrinkly hat. Then, the hat burst into song:

_Oh, I may not be the prettiest,_

_Nor the sightliest hat you'll see._

_But my looks, they do not matter,_

_For my brains do, really._

_Since the founding of this school,_

_Over a thousand years ago,_

_Students put me on their heads,_

_And I've told them where to go._

_The founders of this school made a hat,_

_In sorting, it's the key._

_And if you are to be sorted now,_

_I'll show you where to be._

_To describe the Gryffindors,_

_The brave and full of heart._

_Their hardy nerve and gallantry,_

_Set them far apart._

_Or perhaps you're made for Hufflepuff,_

_A loyal house, 'tis true,_

_Patient, kind and just in all,_

_They will ever do._

_The Ravenclaws are sharp as tacks,_

_You'll need a ready mind._

_Their brains are highly valued,_

_They're the smartest of the kind._

_And Slytherins, the cunning ones,_

_Do everything to win._

_They've got vim and vigor plenty,_

_And belong among their kin._

_So slip me on around your ears,_

_My answer's always right._

_I'll put you where you ought to be,_

_Your sorting is tonight._

The hat fell limp, and the Great Hall burst into applause.Albus was surprised that a hat could think, much less sing. As the clapping died down, Professor McGonagall got up next to the hat and pulled out her list.

"Archembauld, Nathaniel." A small boy, shaking with anxiety, walked up the steps and put the hat on. He was trembling, as was the hat.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat cried, a look of relief crossing the boy's face. The Ravenclaws clapped as the boy sat down and the sorting continued.

There were more people than Albus thought. _Or maybe it's just going extremely slowly._ Albus waited, and then heard a voice say, "Malfoy, Scorpius."He glanced back at Rose, who was standing behind him. Her eyes were fixed on Scorpius as he walked up the stairs, sat down on the stool, and put the hat on his head.

"No! I'm not like my father!" Albus heard him arguing with the hat, even though it wasn't very loud. He knew that Slytherin wasn't considered as dark as it once was, but he knew that legends never die.

"I promise you, I'm nothing like him! I'm not like my grandfather either!" Scorpius continued to yell at the hat. He heard the hat talk back to Scorpius, but didn't catch what it was saying.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat finally proclaimed. Scorpius looked throughly pissed off as he sat down at the Slytherin table. McGonagall called up another person, and five more after that, and then it was his turn.

He slowly walked up the steps leading to the stage and over to the stool. He sat down, and picked up the hat. _Put it on already!_ he thought, hesitating as he lifted up the hat. He quickly put it onto his head, and listened to the hat.

"_Oh," _said the hat, _"Another Potter." _The hat's voice was like nothing he'd ever heard: It was curt and raspy, but it had a warmth hidden underneath, like it wanted you to be happy. _"You Potters have been in Gryffindor for so long, eh? I suppose you want the same." _Albus swallowed, then nodded. _"Well, I see no problem with that._GRYFFINDOR!" the hat finally proclaimed. Albus felt a smile lighting up on his face, and he saw Rose look pleased for him.

He hurried over to the Gryffindor table, where James scooted to one side and let him sit down, then resumed his conversation with his best friend, Sam Jordan. Albus watched the rest of the first years get sorted. He waited and waited, and finally it was Rose's turn. She walked up, looking nervous, and put the hat on.

"GRY-" the hat started almost immediately, but it was cut off. He saw Rose snapping at the hat, and the hat arguing back. He saw Rose looking furious, and the wrinkles in the hat were bunched up in a similar way.

Finally, after ten minutes, the hat proclaimed, "GRYFFINDOR!" and Rose walked over. But the thing is, she didn't look pleased. She looked as angry as Scorpius had looked when he was put in Slytherin. The sorting had finished, and the head of school stood up.

"Welcome back for another year at Hogwarts. The following rules are to be followed at all times." The man stroked his beard, and continued. "No one is to go into the Forbidden Forest next to Hagrid's hut. You may not use spells, jinxes, hexes, charms, or magic of any sort in the hallway between classes. Five points deducted for every offense. Now, let us celebrate the new year with our feast!" Immediately, food appeared on the tables, and everyone served themselves.

"So, ickle Alby and Roseypoo, Gryffindors!" James grinned at Rose, sitting across from Albus. But she just picked at her roast beef, not talking back as usual. "Rose? Are you okay? You seem kind of . . . upset." James' smile faded as he went back to his potatoes. But Albus kept prodding.

"Rose? We got into Gryffindor? Why do you look so mad?" Albus picked up his fork, and kept watching his cousin. Her ears were still pink, so she was hiding _something_. He wasn't sure what, but she was definately hiding something.

"Rose? Are you sure you're okay?" James asked her again. She looked up, and opened her mouth.

"Well . . . I guess I wanted to be in Slytherin." She said quickly. James' jaw dropped, as did Albus' and Sam's. And everyone else who heard.

"Oh, Rose! You're such a joker!" James quickly covered for her, and everyone else went back to their food.

"Slytherin?" James hissed. "_Slytherin_? What is wrong with you? You kept telling me how much you wanted to be in _Gryffindor_!"

"I changed my mind!" Rose snapped, the piece of roast beef on the end of her fork flying off and hitting James in the forehead. She grinned in a _ha-ha-ha-ha-ha _sort of way and went back to eating, and Albus realized that his worst fear had just come true.

_Rose has a crush on Scorpius Malfoy_.

**A/N: So, how was it? R&R.**


	3. Before the First Class

**A/N: **No, I'm not dead. I'm not going to give you any excuses, because I was being lazy. Then I went to camp, where I wrote this. It's especially long, so hope this makes up for it! This is a shout-out to my friend from camp, who read the first draft of this chapter. You know who you are.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. Never have, probably never will. Sniffle...

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Albus followed a huge group of Gryffindors up the stairs that led to the portrait hole. As he waited around, he noticed something was holding up the crowd. He pushed his way to the front, where two fifth-years were arguing about the password.

"You said you knew it!" yelled the taller of the two at the other. Her hand was in her pocket, feeling around for her wand.

"You said that Jane told you!" shouted the smaller girl back at her friend. The Fat Lady looked annoyed, like she wanted them inside and away from her.

Just as they had pulled out their wands, Victoire pushed her way through the growing crowd of students. She stopped next to Albus, and looked up at the Fat Lady.

"Password?" asked the Fat Lady with a sigh. She pulled on her medieval-style pink dress and tucked her brown hair back into its out-of-date lace sheath.

"Fizzing Whizbee," stated Victoire, her tone definite.

"No, that's not the password." The Fat Lady's answer received a wave of moans from the group of impatient students and a stutter of disbelief from Victoire.

"B-b-b-but, that's what the Headmaster told me in my letter!" Victoire started to turn pink as she moved away from the Fat Lady, speaking incoherent French quickly and angrily.

"Let me in! My Pygmy Puff is in there! She needs to be fed!" A random second-year was trying to push her way to the front, tears streaming down her cheeks as she yelled at the Fat Lady. To everyone's surprise, the portrait hole swung open to reveal the Gryffindor Common room. Albus pushed his way inside, and looked around the big round space, illuminated by the small glowing oil lamps mounted on the wall.

There were fat red armchairs and a big red sofa in front of the flickering fire, similar armchairs scattered throughout the room. Each chair had a gold square pillow, a lion embroidered in the center of each one. Similar pillows were nestled in the corners of the big soft couch. The oak coffee table had various magazines scattered on the over-polished surface. And over near the windows were oak tables and chairs for studying, right in front of the big notice board.

"First years, the boys dormitories are up the spiral staircase on the left, and the girls are up the staircase on right. Rest up, because classes start tomorrow." An aged Minerva McGonagall climbed into the portrait hole and stood in the center of the room, watching the students slowly amble upstairs. As Albus reached the top of the winding staircase, he noticed Victoire stomping over to Professor McGonagall, yelling something at her, then walking out of the room behind her. _Always makes a big fuss over nothing,_ thought Albus as he entered the first-years dorm.

He walked over to his trunk and pulled out his green pajamas. He tugged off his robes and buttoned up the emerald-colored top, when the other boys entered the room while he was in his boxers. He waited to see if the other boys reacted, maybe looking away, but they ignored him and went to their own beds. He pulled on the pajama pants, brushed his teeth in the wash basin, placed his glasses near the mirror across from his bed, and pulled the scarlet and gold bed hangings shut, his heavy eyelids beginning to drop as the fast-approaching snores and deep, even breaths of the other boys lulled him to sleep.

The next morning he woke up to owls hooting outside the tower window. He examined the watch on his bedside table, which read 6:30. _Two more hours until my first class at Hogwarts, _he thought as he stretched and walked over to the mirror where he kept his glasses, pushing them up the bridge of his nose as he pulled his robes out of this trunk, noticing happily the Gryffindor crest that had appeared on the chest. He tied his striped gold-and-scarlet tie around the collar of his starched white button-down. He pulled out the gray knit vest with the red and gold stripes on the ribbed hems, and pulled it on over his shirt. He buttoned his dark gray pants, a neat crease down the center of the leg. He threw his robes on over the outfit, grabbed his book bag, forgetting he hadn't packed it yet, snatched his wand, ran out the door, being careful not to wake anyone, dashed down the stairs, and ran straight into Professor McGonagall.

"Mister Potter, what are you doing sprinting down the stairs like a deer at seven o'clock in the morning?" The little woman, stooped with age, put her wrinkled hands on her tiny hips, sheets of parchment slowly floating to the floor like snowflakes.

"Oh, erm, well, I didn't think you'd be at the foot of the_ boy's_ staircase, Professor." Albus fumbled with his book bag, realizing it was empty, and ran his hands through his unbrushed black hair, the old woman's disapproving stare never leaving his eyes.

"Very well Mister Potter." She pursued her lips and flipped through the few schedules that hadn't drifted to the floor. "I suppose that since you are here, I might as well give you your schedule. Because it is the first day, I will let it slide this time. But be warned, next time you are speeding down the stairs without noticing other people, it will be five points from Gryffindor." McGonagall handed Albus a sheet of parchment and tapped it with her wand, then stooped down to pick up the schedules scattered all over the floor as Albus crept back up the stairs to fill his empty book bag with the books for his first class at Hogwarts.

Over on the other side of the tower, Rose woke up and blinked a couple of times. _What a weird dream,_ she thought as she splashed her face with cold water from the washbasin. She could have sworn she was kissing someone in it. Someone blond. _But why would it be him? I've only known him for less than a day! Sure he's cute, but…_

Rose thought her dream through while she was brushing her hair. It had been more of an image, really. His back was to her, and she leaned in and kissed him. Then the dream turned into something with fried chicken and a water balloon, none of which she understood.

"You're probably just nervous." A voice came up from behind her. She jumped, and saw Kaila Wood, Katie Bell and Oliver Wood's daughter, standing behind her. Her blond hair looked just like her mother's, but she was tall for her age like her father.

"How did you know that? I didn't say anything." Rose grabbed her uniform out of her trunk, and started putting it on while Kaila came up with an answer.

"I could sense it; you seemed tense." was all Kaila said before returning to her bed. Rose continued to put on her clothes, then packed up her book bag with all the books she'd need for the day. As she grabbed her wand, and walked out the door, she heard Kaila yell something about loosening up to her. She just brushed it off and went down to breakfast, still thinking about the dream she'd had the night before.

Just as she was about to take a bite of a waffle, Professor McGonagall appeared behind her and handed her a schedule.

"Ugh, transfiguration first? Sucks for you." Rose whipped her head to the side just in time to see James sitting down next to her, Colin Finnigan to his right.

"And with the Slytherins? Boy, the first-years have it bad." Colin took a heaping bite of his French toast and exchanged a secret smile with James.

"But I'm sure _you_ don't mind, do you Rose?" James' impish grin was too much for Rose. She threw a waffle at him, and ran away from the table in tears. She sprinted up the steps, and stopped next to a trembling suit of armor. She paused, and out popped a ghost who looked extremely familiar, like someone she knew.

"Uncle George? Why are you here?" Rose peered at the ghost, who looked almost identical to her Uncle George, but as a young man, not the almost 40-year-old father he was now.

"Who are you, and how do you know George?" The ghost looked her over, and gave her a demanding look. She saw the twinkle in his eye, and remembered pictures of her dead Uncle, Fred.

"I-I-I'm George's niece, Rose. Ron and Hermione's daughter. Are you…Fred?" She stared at the ghost, whose jaw was hanging open.

"If you're really George's niece, I should probably comfort you." The ghost floated over to Rose. "Quick! Name all of my siblings!" He had a triumphant look on his face, a _She'll never answer this_.

"Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, Ron, Ginny. George is your twin." Fred looked shocked, and then he noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What's wrong? You're my niece too, I guess. Albeit very loosely as I'm dead, but still my niece." The ghost put his arm around her shoulders, which felt like a humongous snowball hitting her back.

"I think I might have a crush on Scorpius Malfoy. And James won't stop teasing me about it!" The tears came thick and heavy now.

"Who's James?" Rose gave him a look. "Brother?" She shook her head. "Let me guess, he's Ginny and Harry's kid, isn't he?" Rose nodded. "Just what we need, my sister and your uncle combined. Great." He noticed that she was still crying, and wiped the grimace off his face. "But seriously, a Malfoy? Why him compared to everyone else?" Rose tried shoving the ghost, but just managed to get her hands freezing cold, then ran away from him. As she neared Gryffindor Tower, she bumped into Victoire.

"Rose? Why are you crying? And why do your hands feel like ice?" Rose had wrapped her arms around Victoire, who was patting her on the head.

Victoire could only make out something about James teasing her about Scorpius Malfoy and Fred's being of no help before she started talking to Rose.

"Rose, James is an arse. Let me go talk to him. You go to the girl's room and splash some water on your face." Rose nodded, and went to the nearest girl's room, where she splashed some cold water all over her teary face, then headed to Transfiguration. She saw Victoire yelling at James, while Albus and Colin tried to stifle their laughter.

As she entered the Transfiguration classroom, she saw Scorpius sitting at a desk, his friends surrounding him. She grabbed a desk next to him, and he noticed her and flashed her a bright smile. _Sigh…his teeth are so white._ Rose thought about him like a regular girl with a crush, knowing that if she got older and dated a Malfoy, her dad would get seriously pissed and possibly disown her.

"So Rose, how's Gryffindor been?" He turned away from his buddies, and it took her a second to realize he was talking to her. He quietly waited, his gray eyes meeting her blue ones.

"Great. How's Slytherin?" She smiled at him, and he started to answer her, but then Professor McGonagall entered the room. Rose noticed that the rest of the class had entered as the little woman went to the front of the room.

"Sorry I'm late, class. I had to discipline a student. Honestly, first day and already losing his house twenty points…" Her voice trailed off as she straightened up at the front of the room. Rose grimaced, knowing it was her fault that Gryffindor was in the negatives. She remembered her father talking once about how she always made a big deal about nothing, just like her mother. Then she remembered her mother throwing a vase at her father. She focused on McGongall, who was ready to start teaching.

"Boys and girls, welcome to your first class at Hogwarts."

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**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed it! R&R


	4. Throughout September

**A/N: Ciao tutti! Sorry I haven't updated NG in a while. You know, Algebra quiz, French test, History Project, etc. Yeah, the usual. But, it's back! I wrote an extra-full chapter just to make-up for it! Enjoy! But don't forget the little "Review" button! **

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By the end of her first week at Hogwarts, Rose had her schedule memorized. Transfiguration was boring, Charms was easy, Defense Against the Dark Arts was the only fun class, and Potions was easier than using the Easy-Brew Cauldron she'd had when she was five. But she hated riding lessons. They were the one thing she couldn't do. So she spent every cent she had on Uncle George's Nosebleed Nougat and always ate one right before everyone went to grab a broomstick. Then when she was sent to Miss Pomfrey's office, she went into the castle, wolfed down the cure, and snuck off to the library to study with the second years.

But on Monday of her second week, just after she popped the nougat into her mouth, Scorpius tripped over Albus' broom. As Rose's nose started gushing, Madam Reynolds looked at Rose, then at Scorpius, who was hopping on one foot, clutching his twisted ankle, then back to Rose. She made a noise that sounded like the chickens at Grandma Weasley's house, and put her hands on her hips.

"Rose, darling, help Scorpius up the stairs to Miss Pomfrey's office. And Scorpius, make sure you stay off that ankle and keep away from her blood." She pointed to the castle, and they set off, Scorpius putting his arm around Rose for support. She was sure he could feel the heat radiating from her ears, because they felt warmer than the time James cast a burning spell on them two years ago.

They walked back to the castle, arriving inside fifteen minutes later. But when she let go of him to eat the reversal, he put his ankle down and gave a sheepish smile.

"What-how-huh?" Rose's words were coming out in an incoherent jumble as he flashed that grin that make her weak at the knees, and pulled her up the staircase as she chewed, her upper lip still covered in rapidly drying blood.

They climbed the stairs and he pulled her into the library, leading her to a study table concealed by three bookcases, and pulling out a tissue from his pocket. She started dabbing at her upper lip, and nodded at him in thanks. He motioned for her to sit, and she pulled out a chair and sat.

Before she could ask, he answered. "I saw the Nosebleed Nougat. And riding is easy. I was wondering if you could help me with Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'm really behind, and I don't get what we're studying at all." He flashed a weak smile, with a begging look in his eyes that looked like he would crumble to the ground if she said no.

"Of course, Scorpius." She flashed him her crooked grin, which her mother refused to fix until she was thirteen, but it seemed to be charming enough. His pale cheeks were turning pink. She grabbed her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook out, placed it on the table, and took a good long look at him. "But only if you do me a favor too."

"Oh, um, sure Rose. What do you need?" His cheeks started turning red, and he looked down at his thumbs, sincerely hoping she wouldn't ask for any help with schoolwork. He was pretty sure he was already getting a T in Potions.

"Teach me how to ride a broomstick." He noticed her ears flushing as she said this. _She's embarrassed,_ he thought to himself as he saw her ears turn rosy, then fuchsia, then scarlet.

"Of course, Rose. Let's compare schedules at lunch." He grinned at her, and saw her ears turn maroon; a brighter shade of red than he thought human flesh could deepen to.

"But first, let's get started on the homework. Do you know how to cast the five basic protective spells?" She stared at him, her big blue eyes connecting with his. He felt his cheeks turn red.

"Actually, I don't. I'm not very good with my wand yet." His skin turned rosier, and she saw another part of him she hadn't seen before: a part of him that was embarrassed to admit this, the part of him that wished he was as good at schoolwork. The same way she wished she was good at riding.

"No problem. Let's begin."

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By Friday afternoon, Scorpius had a basic concept of how to use his wand, and Rose had a basic concept of how not to fall off of a broom. Albus had seen her in the library, giggling at every joke he made. But she hadn't seen him. Every day, he put on the invisibility cloak and tiptoed into the library, over to the secluded corner they sat in, and listened in on their conversations.

"Scorpius, come on. We've got to start working on the essay for tomorrow." He heard a murmur and Rose started giggling. "Come on, Scor. I'm serious." _Scor? Merlin's Pants. What a lame nickname._

Albus turned around, and almost got squashed by a pair of feet. He looked up and saw James putting a book back on the shelf. He stood up, and pulled off the cloak. James turned to face him and jumped back like a cheetah.

"Merlin's Pants, Al! What the hell were you doing?" James thumped himself in the chest jokingly, and looked down at his little brother.

"Since when do you read out of your own free will? What book were you reading?" James tried to push himself in front of the bookcase, but Al was quick and nimble. He grabbed the book that was sticking out of the shelf ever so slightly, and flipped it over to look at the title.

"Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches? Since when do you want to impress girls?" James clamped a hand over Albus' mouth, muffling his loud voice. But he quickly snapped back his hand when Al bit his finger. Hard.

"And who is this special witch you're trying to impress?" Al inquired, a teasing smile darting over his lips.

"Oh, well, erm, I…" James sputtered and rocked nervously back and forth on his heels. He ran his hands through his black, overgrown hair, and took a deep breath. "Flora Longbottom."

"What? Her? When? _Why?_ We've known her and Fauna for so long!" But since Flora and her twin sister Fauna were always hanging around James, Al had never really known much about Flora except that she'd only cut her long, thigh-grazing white-blond hair twice in her life, and she and her sister were so alike, it was scary. Except for the fact that Fauna had a short, blond pixie cut to differentiate the two of them.

"For God's sake, Al! You don't need to know everything! I like her, and that's that!" James was growing red in the face, and it didn't help that some curious students were gathering around. James groaned and walked out of the library, a steady stream of wrinkled parchment floating out from behind his open book bag.

* * *

James refused to talk to Al for the entire weekend, despite his many attempts to apologize. Al had tried almost everything in the book except for getting down on his hands and knees to beg the crap out of James. But by Monday at lunch, James had forgiven his little brother.

"Al! You're a genius in a small body!" Al glared at James when he said this, but motioned for him to continue. "Somehow Flora found out about our little library conversation, and she told me she likes me too! You're a mastermind!" Albus gave a sheepish grin, which was soon replaced with a scowl when James lifted him up off the ground to give him a bear hug in the middle of the Great Hall.

After jamming Al back onto the bench of the Gryffindor table, James went off in a happy trance to great Flora, who was just know walking up from the Hufflepuff dormitories with Fauna by her side. When James went over to greet her, she gave him a hug and Fauna just nodded and walked away. _It was almost like they were telepathic or something, _thought Albus._ Twin-lepathy_.

Just as he was about to dig into his BLT, he noticed Rose and Scorpius walking down the stairs together. Rose tripped, and Scorpius caught her. She giggled, and walked over to the Gryffindor table, her back to the pair of grey eyes that were staring longingly after her.


End file.
